गुड़हल का फूल

Summary

In the scorching afternoon heat of June, an elderly, emaciated beggar slept deeply under the cool shade of an old peepal tree, appearing like a heap of filth. Beside him sat his son, a boy of about five or six years, who was not sleepy. The boy watched a black-spotted dove on a low branch, which kept turning its flexible neck. The boy tried to reach a hibiscus flower. He asked the bungalow boy to become a horse so he could stand on his back and pluck it. The bungalow boy bent down, but when the beggar boy tried to climb, he became unsteady and tilted. The beggar boy made him a horse two or three times, but each time he could not bear the weight. The dove flew into the dense green shade and disappeared. The boy searched for it with wonder and curiosity, then got up, sucking his lower lip, feeling thirsty. He crossed the empty tar road to a public tap. He knew how to open the tap, drank water, and then played, cutting the stream with his fingers and splashing water, laughing at the cool touch. He then went to a bungalow with an iron gate. Inside, he saw flower beds with many flowers. He was delighted, touched the flowers gently, and pressed his soft face against a rose. He then saw tall hibiscus plants with deep red flowers he wanted to pluck but could not reach. Hearing a ball bouncing, he went to a tamarind tree where a fair boy in a sky-blue necker was playing. They smiled in recognition. The bungalow boy threw the ball high, touching leaves. The beggar boy tried but missed. The ball landed near the hibiscus. The beggar boy wanted the flower. He tried jumping but failed. He suggested the bungalow boy become a horse, but he was unsteady. The beggar boy then became a horse, but the bungalow boy fell, scared. The beggar boy then brought bricks to make a platform